Owl My Heart
by Always Hopeful
Summary: ONESHOT! COMPLETE! Based on Email My Heart by Brittany Spears. The last words Minerva speaks to her husbands before he dies are cruel. How will she feel?


**Disclaimer: I do not own anything dealing with Harry Potter and I do not suspect that I shall anytime soon. K? And the song is based off of "E-mail My Heart" by Brittany Spears.**

**A/N: I know I should be working on my stories, but I can't write when I have no inspire-ation. And I don't want to go past my two week deadline, so here is another one-shot. Now, someone pointed out to me that I usually do happy one-shots. So I thought I would do one really tragic fic. I hope that's okay with everyone.**

**Owl My Heart…**

_Forever…_

"Albus Percival Wulfric Bryan Dumbledore, you are _the_ most infuriating man I have ever met!" Minerva McGonagall (only Minerva Dumbledore in private) placed her hands angrily upon her hips as she continued to stare, red-faced, at her husband. Said husband let out a long, low sigh as he stared at his wife.

"Minerva, I have told you time and time again that if I could tell you where I was going with young Harry, I would. But I cannot tell you. At least, not yet." He was close to losing his temper and he knew it. But he was doing his best not let his anger get the better of him. After all, if he did not make it through the night, he did not want her last memories of him to be memories of anger and spite.

"Albus, we have been married for nearly forty years, and the fact that you don't trust me with the truth hurts!" She was close to tears, but she would not give him the satisfaction of knowing how scared and weak she was.

"Minerva, you will NOT question me any further on this subject," commanded Albus. Sure, it was a stupid this for him to say, but he was hurt and angry at her accusations. Minerva looked at him and gaped.

"Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do, Albus! I am you wife, and as such, I feel I deserve some respect. I deserve to know where you're going and why I am unable to follow you." She stomped her foot as she said this, causing her to look like an errant child.

"Do not push me, Minerva," shouted Albus. He had lost it. Couldn't she understand the pressure he was under? Couldn't she understand that if he had a choice, he would much rather tell her everything that he had planned since the day Harry had defeated Voldemort at the tender age of one? He couldn't rightly tell her that he was going to look for Voldemort's horcruxes and that it was possible that he would die before the next morning. In fact, he had arranged with Severus to kill him. This was the only way to ensure Draco's innocence and align everything for the final battle between the good side and the bad.

As for Minerva, she was having the toughest time trying to understand why he was putting her through such torture. All she wanted was a simple answer. Of course, a distant part of her brain had tried to reason with her that perhaps the answer was not as simple as one might think, but right now that did not matter to her. She was now breathing heavily through her nostrils, causing them to inflate and deflate rather quickly.

"Very well, then, Albus," she said through gritted teeth, "if that is how you wish it to be, then you can sleep on the couch tonight!" With that, she twirled around and stormed into the bedchambers they had shared for so many years.

Albus stood there, stunned. This was not how he wanted things to end between them. He walked up to the door and nearly opened it, but held back. He had muddled things up enough as it was. He didn't need to make things any worse than they already were. He pressed his left hand against the doorway and whispered, "I love you." He wasn't sure if Minerva had heard it, but he knew she knew it. Turning, he swiftly left, making sure not to hesitate enough to cause him to lose his nerve completely.

Minerva had, indeed, heard his whisper, and it caused her to choke up. She really did love him and she knew he loved her, but she was just so angry at him for treating her like a little girl. She could handle the truth. She had already accepted so many things in her life, she was sure one more thing wouldn't matter.

No, this wasn't right. She couldn't just let him leave this way. Not like this. She had to tell him she loved him. So, she threw open the door and ran out of their room.

"Albus? Albus!" She looked around. He was gone. She looked out their window, wondering if he was in his animagus form. He wasn't. She looked out in the hallway. He wasn't there either. Slowly closing her husband's office door, she turned, leaned against it, and slid down to the ground, clutching her knees to her chest. He was gone.

The tears she had been holding back now began to pour down her cheeks. What had she done?

Ooooooooooo

As Albus lead Harry across the river that separated them from the locket, his thoughts were on Minerva. He had left things rather horribly, and now he was regretting it. He silently cursed himself for not making sure she was alright before he left. But what could he do now?

Ooooooooooo

_It's been hours seems like days_

_Since you went away_

_And all I do is check the screen_

_To see if you're okay_

Hours had gone by, and Minerva was beginning to grow agitated. Albus had not yet returned with Harry and she was growing more and more worried by the second. Where _were_ they? Surely they were on their way home by now.

She had made a pact with herself that she would apologize profusely for what she had said to him. She realized that she was being stupid and if he had been able to tell her anything about what he was doing tonight, he would have. He would never have deliberately left her out of anything.

Her eyes were red from crying and her nose had been rubbed raw. She had sent owl after owl over the past hour to try and find him, and they had all come back empty handed. The letters she had written alternated between being gone and remaining upon the leg of the owl. She didn't know if he was actually receiving her letters, and that worried her more than anything else. What could he be doing?

The hours seemed like days and as each one passed, another piece of her heart cracked and broke apart. She didn't know when he was coming back and she hated that fact.

_You don't answer when I phone_

_Guess you wanna be left alone_

_So I'm sending you my heart, my soul_

_And this is what I'll say_

Albus wasn't answering her letters and she knew he would if he could. Or, would he? Perhaps he just wanted to be left alone for a few hours to sort of organize his thoughts. She didn't know if that was the case, but it was a possibility. She was pouring her heart and soul into those letters and it hurt to think that perhaps he didn't want to talk to her.

So now, she was staring out their window, looking for some sign that he was coming home to her.

"Oh, Albus…" she whispered. "I'm so sorry. Can't you give me one more chance to make it all up to you?"

_I'm sorry, oh so sorry_

_Can't you give me one more chance?_

_To make it all up to you_

_Owl my heart and say our love will never die_

_And I know you're out there_

_And I know that you still care_

_Owl me back and say our love will stay alive_

_Forever, owl my heart_

"Albus…" She had taken to talking to the night sky, for she felt that perhaps, on some level, he could hear her. "I know you're out there and I know that you still care. Don't be angry with me, please, I beg of you. I love you with all that I am. Don't be angry, please!" She closed her eyes to hold back a new wave of tears and before she knew it, she fell asleep.

Ooooooooooo

_I can see you in my mind_

_Comin' on the line_

_And opening this letter that_

_I've sent a hundred times_

Albus was suffering from the side effects of the drink that he had made Harry promise that he would force feed him. He felt pain all over his entire body and he knew that he was saying things that probably made no sense to Harry.

And just as the pain was at its worse, there appeared before him the beautiful image of his wife, his one true love. He had wanted to accept her owls, but he couldn't with Harry around. So he had to use his mind to bring the paper from the leg into his pocket. But even then, he could only take a few of them.

_Here's a picture of us two_

_I look so good on you_

_And can't you please forgive me for_

_The hurt I put you through?_

The image in his mind was one of them on their wedding day. They held each other close and were having the time of their lives. They looked so good together, and everyone around them could see it. The fact that they belonged together was certainly hard to deny.

_'Please forgive me, my love,'_ he thought to himself. _'I pray that you can find it in your heart to forgive me for all the hurt I put you through. I love you and I hope that you never forget that!'_

The next thing he knew, Harry had force-fed the last drop of the nasty liquid and he was back to the present.

_I'm sorry, oh so sorry_

_Can't you give me one more chance?_

_To make it all up to you_

_Owl my heart and say our love will never die_

_And I know you're out there_

_And I know that you still care_

_Owl me back and say our love will stay alive_

_Forever, (won't you say, won't you say?)_

_Owl my heart_

"He's… dead?" Minerva asked. She couldn't believe it. Albus was dead? She swayed a bit and the next thing she knew, she was sitting down, though where the seat came from, she had no idea. She dabbed at her eyes as her answers seemed to come more automatic. She didn't know how she had managed to say anything while in such a state. She was absolutely livid and all she could think about was Albus.

And she had watched Hagrid carry Albus up to the front. Albus was then encased in a white tomb. It all seemed to go by so fast that she hardly knew what was going on. All she could think about was the last time they had talked…

_'Do not presume to tell me what I can and cannot do!'_

_'Do not push me, Minerva.'_

_'Very well, then, Albus, you can sleep on the couch tonight.'_

There was a knock on the door and she looked up. Who was knocking on her door at this hour? She called out for the person to enter. The door opened and Poppy entered.

"How are you holding up, Min?" she asked. Minerva's eyes were red from crying, once again.

"Please don't call me Min, Poppy," she whispered. Poppy nodded and Minerva continued to look at her husband's desk. "Do you know what the last thing I said to him was, Poppy?" Poppy shook her head.

"No, Minerva, I don't," she said.

"I told him he could sleep on the couch when he got back," Minerva replied. Poppy felt for her friend, she truly did.

"I'm sure he knew how much you loved him," she assured. Minerva shook her head.

"You don't understand, Poppy," continued Minerva. She finally looked up and into her friend's eyes. "The last thing I thought was how much he annoyed me when he would only give me half answers or none at all. What kind of wife am I that that would be my last thought of my husband before he left my life forever?" Minerva placed her head in her hands and sobbed. All that she had been holding back over the past few hours came crashing to the surface.

"Oh, Minerva," Poppy said as she came around to hug her friend. "He knew how much you loved him. People get mad and say things they really don't mean, and it happens to the best of us. You've just got to hold strong and believe that he knew you loved him. He did." Minerva brought her hands so that they were just covering her cheeks.

"I know he did," she said. "I know he loved me as much as, if not more, than I loved him, though I don't know why. I didn't deserve his love."

"Now, you hush, Minerva," said Poppy. "You two deserved each other more than anyone could ever know. No one could ever be as perfect as you two together. And I mean that." Minerva slowly nodded.

"I just wish he would forgive me for the things I've put him through." Poppy looked up at the portrait of Albus, who winked at her.

"I'm sure he does, Min," she said, rubbing her hand up and down Minerva's right arm. She looked down at her friend. "I'm sure he does."

_I'm sorry, oh so sorry_

_Won't you give me one more chance?_

_To make it all up to_

_Owl my heart and say our love will never die_

_And (I know) I know you're out there_

_And I know that you still care (know that you still care)_

_Owl me back and say our love will stay alive_

_Forever (won't you say, won't you say)_

_Forever (won't you say, won't you say)_

_Owl my heart_

Ooooooooooo

"Albus…" The name came out as a whisper in the still of the night. The stars twinkled in the night above, much like his eyes once did. The lone figure on the bed stared at the moon, a tear coming from the corners of each eye. She was so thin she was sickly. Ever since that night months ago, she had blamed herself. Her words were low and heartfelt. "I'm so sorry…"

And with that, she was gone…

**A/N2: Wow, so sad! I hated to leave it the way I was originally going to leave it, so I added that last bit after the song ended. At least I put her out of her misery, right? Tell me what you think. Read long and prosper. Always Hopeful**


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